by Rev. Dr. Mirman
Initially I thought Homeopathy was a medical specialty, and I practiced it as such. After all, we do make sick people healthy. My Homeopathy teacher Vega Rozenberg changed my understanding on the subject. Again and again he pointed the following out to the class, and it finally clicked.
It is all in the definitions. The Board of Medical Practice of most states defines medicine as diagnosing and treating disease. They define disease as disorder of the physical structure of the organism leading to symptoms. The doctors attempt to diagnose the exact physical etiology (cause) of the symptoms and treat it with physical means, such as chemical medications or surgery.
What do we do as homeopaths? Well, first of all, our definition of disease is entirely different. For us it is some unseen and unknowable disturbance of the spiritual Vital Force. We do attempt to define it in our terms, but our terms are entirely different from the medical terms. We want to know, what substance could cause a similar disturbance in a healthy person, and therefore similar symptoms. The disturbance itself is hidden from our eyes and understanding, but we postulate that if some substance causes symptoms similar to those in our parishioner, then it must cause a similar spiritual disturbance in the Vital Force. This is our “diagnosis”.
Now for the “treatment”. We prepare a remedy from this substance, that we feel would cause in a healthy person a spiritual disturbance similar to the one we need to eradicate in our parishioner. The remedy, once prepared, has none of the original substance left in it, but carries within it some type of spiritual imprint of the original substance. Once taken by the parishioner, it causes a reaction in their Vital Force, leading to easily observable changes in their well being.
Yes, we do practice a form of healing. One could even call it “medicine”, but our medicine is as much medicine, as an Indian medicine man’s medicine is medicine. Do you like my tongue twister?
Could anybody accuse us of practicing medicine as defined by the medical boards? They can try… But then they would need to show that we do something that has any direct effect on the physical body. Of course, our remedies have nothing in them to have any effect on the physical body! Our remedies are no more than spiritual essences of the original substances they were made from. Not very medical!
Vega pointed out that Hahnemann wrote about it in just these terms 200 years ago. Take a look at these two paragraphs from his main book Organon of Medicine:
§ 9
In the healthy condition of man, the spiritual vital force (autocracy), the dynamis that animates the material body (organism), rules with unbounded sway, and retains all the parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both sensations and functions, so that our indwelling, reason-gifted mind can freely employ this living, healthy instrument for the higher purpose of our existence.
§ 16
Our vital force, as a spirit-like dynamis, cannot be attacked and affected by injurious influences on the healthy organism caused by the external inimical forces that disturb the harmonious play of life, otherwise than in a spirit-like (dynamic) way, and in like manner, all such morbid derangements (diseases) cannot be removed from it by the physician in any other way than by the spirit-like (dynamic, virtual) alterative powers of the serviceable medicines acting upon our spirit-like vital force, which perceives them through the medium of the sentient faculty of the nerves everywhere present in the organism, so that it is only by their dynamic action on the vital force that remedies are able to re-establish and do actually re-establish health and vital harmony, after the changes in the health of the patient cognizable by our senses (the totality of the symptoms) have revealed the disease to the carefully observing and investigating physician as fully as was requisite in order to enable him to cure it.
It can’t be any clearer: we are administering spiritual remedies into a spiritual system in order to create a spiritual change that in turn will cause an improvement in the client’s well being.
This is similar to what an Indian medicine man does with his clients. It is also similar to what a hospital chaplain does with his. The only difference is that the chaplain’s prayer is administered in words, and our prayer – in a sugar pellet or a drop of water.
The rest was simple. I decided to proclaim our work for what it is – a spiritual discipline. Some local homeopaths saw the reason in this idea and joined with me, and the Homeopathy Congress ministry was born.
Besides being a homeopath, I am also a medical doctor. So are a few of our members. At first glance this may seem like a contradiction. Yet, it is nothing of the kind. When a patient comes to me as a medical doctor, I do diagnose their conditions and we discuss the options of either treating the conditions “medically”, or treating the patient’s Vital Force homeopathically. In many cases the patient opts for homeopathy, because it may obviate the need for medical treatment and make them generally healthier. Sometimes some medical treatment may be necessary and then I provide it. Where is the contradiction? One wants to feel better, and I provide it for them. This is what I strive to do as a doctor and as a homeopath.
Most of our members are not licensed healthcare providers. Therefore, they don’t diagnose and treat medical conditions. They leave those things to their clients’ medical doctors, and try to work in cooperation with them. Once the client’s Vital Force becomes healthier, their physical symptoms go away and their doctor reduces or eliminates medical treatments that become unnecessary, when appropriate. Again, no contradiction.
In fact, it should not be possible to know where one stops and the other begins. everybody working with sick people – doctors, clergy, healers of all persuasions, we all want to make those we are trying to help better, and the only correct way to do it is to combine our forces and do what is best in each given situation, putting our ego and our pride aside. They have no place in the sick room!
The higher purpose of Homeopathy Congress is to work towards that goal.